


Grounded

by NixTheLapin47



Series: VLD Winged AUs [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith, Gen, adding tags as I go, but hardcore friendships, galra don't, he's not actually purple, humans have wings, kind of, neither do alteans, no ships, wing fic, wingless keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-05-05 21:38:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14627547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NixTheLapin47/pseuds/NixTheLapin47
Summary: In a world where humans have wings, Keith is the only one born without them.





	1. Chapter 1

Keith loved his dad’s wings. When he was younger, he used to let him ride on his back between his wings and take him up in the sky. Feeling the wind blow on his face and weave through his hair was his favorite. 

 

He couldn’t wait till he was able to fly like his dad. 

 

“Hey, Dad?” he had asked once after his dad had taken him out. 

 

“Yes, Keith?” 

 

“When will I get my wings?” 

 

His dad had gone silent at that. He looked down at Keith, who looked back up expectantly with an excited smile. His dad opened and closed his mouth, no words coming out. So Keith stepped closer and sat next to the couch where his dad sat, resting his arms and chin on his dad’s knee. 

 

After a few more moments of silence, he finally answered, “Don’t worry, Keith, you’ll fly when you’re older.” 

 

He looked down at his son with a strained smile and ruffled his hair. 

 

And that was it. 

 

Keith had tried to ask how old, but that was all his dad gave him. As upset as Keith was with that answer, he was happy that he’d at least be able to go on flights with his dad in the warm desert air. That was enough for him for now. 

 

Still, he was eager for the day that he’d grow his own wings, just as big and wonderful as his dad’s. 

 

~~

 

Keith wasn’t going to grow wings. 

 

He found this out shortly after his dad died. Since he had no mother or any next of kin, he was sent into the foster system. All the social workers had wings just like his dad did, but they were adults, of course they grew their wings already. Nothing seemed unusual until he was placed into his first foster home. 

 

They had a kid. She was just three years old, half as old as Keith, but there she was… with two small wings on her back. 

 

Every hope of him flying was crushed in that moment when he laid eyes on the child’s fluffy wings. Those days of him riding on his dad’s back were as close as he’d ever get to experiencing it.

 

He curled up in his new room and wrapped himself in a blanket, imagining his dad’s warm feathers surrounding him. He sobbed all night, thinking back to the days in the bright blue desert sky. 

 

He never had wings. And he never will. 

 

He was never going to fly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you guys were wondering, Keith's dad is a red-tailed hawk, which live in desert and chaparral biomes. 
> 
> Sorry for the short first chapter, future ones will be longer, I promise!
> 
> I do accept constructive criticism; I'm always looking to improve.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed! Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith tries to play with some of his classmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's this? im actually updating??
> 
> ((Just to make things a little more clear, this takes place about a year after Keith's dad died. So he's not at the age where he met Shiro quite yet. (but don't worry, we're getting there) ))

“Um… hi,” Keith said shyly to a small group of boys playing by a large tree. 

 

They all turned their heads toward him, their interest suddenly taken up by the wingless confronting them. They looked at him with curious eyes, some condescending. 

 

“What do you want?” one of them asked. 

 

“I- uh-” he stuttered. He looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet. He had never done anything like this before, of course he was nervous. “I was wondering… if maybe I could play with you guys?” 

 

Since he had lived in the desert for most of his life, he had never been around anyone his age, or any kids for that matter. So when his foster parents encouraged him to go play with the others kids at his school, he was nervous to say the least. A year had already passed since he was put in the system, but he has yet to get used to being around so many people. 

 

The other kids already looked at him funny because of his lack of wings. Some avoided him, while others came near him just to look at his bare back. 

 

_ “Where are your wings?”  _

 

_ “Did they get cut off?”  _

 

_ “No, I heard that they’re just really deformed so he hides them!”  _

 

_ “Are you some kind of mutant?”  _

 

The curiosities never seemed to end; even if they didn’t ask him directly, it was always there. But how could he answer them? He didn’t know why he was born without wings. Heck, he didn’t even know people were born  _ with _ wings until recently. 

 

He was reluctant to try and “mingle” with the others, but he eventually gave in to his foster parents and decided to reach out to some students from his class. 

 

That proved to be a difficult task. 

 

The boys didn’t seem very excited at the idea of a wingless kid playing with them. 

 

He was about to turn around and walk away, then one of them smirked. 

 

“Sure.” 

 

Keith’s eyes widened in surprise, as did the other boys’. A few opened their mouths’ in protest, but the boy interrupted them to say something to Keith again. 

 

“We were actually just about to go up in the tree,” he said, still smirking. He pointed up to the tree towering above all of them. “That won’t be a problem, will it?” 

 

Keith’s heart sunk. 

 

“I-” 

 

“Great,” he interrupted. “We’ll see you up there.” 

 

Without saying anything else, he spread his wings and leapt up into the tree, flying to the very top before landing on a branch. The rest of the boys followed behind him shortly, leaving Keith alone on the ground. 

 

Once all of them were at the top with the first kid, they stared down at him with menacing smiles. They were well aware how impossible it was for him to be there. 

 

And he was about to prove them right. But he hated the way they looked at him, like he couldn’t do anything because he had two less limbs than them. Something in him wanted to prove them wrong. He wasn’t worthless. 

 

He made a small jump to the lowest branch, grabbing it with his hand, and began climbing. 

 

He heard a series of gasps coming from the boys. One almost fell off his perch in shock. Keith almost smirked at that. Almost. He was a little preoccupied with reaching the top. He had to prove it to them. He could play with them. He could. He will. 

 

Grabbing onto one branch after the other, he made his way up the tree. The boys at the top were now not the only ones staring at him; there was a small audience of other students staring up at him from the base of the tree. As they chattered amongst themselves about the crazy wingless boy in the tree, he tried his best to drown them out and focus on the task at hand. He couldn’t afford to listen in; he was so close! All the splinters scattered across his hands will be worth it. He’ll prove to his foster parents that he can fit in with the normal kids. He can do this. 

 

He was almost there… he just had to get to the top… just a few more branches…

 

“Woah,” one of the kids gasped. “He actually made it.” 

 

His hand landed on the last branch, the same branch the lead boy was standing on. Seeing as there was no room for him to pull himself up, he stopped just below them, looking up to their shocked faces. 

 

“I- made- it,” he said through ragged breaths. He attempted a small smile. “N-no problem. Just like- you said.” 

 

The boy blinked down at him, still in shock that he actually climbed the whole tree. Wiping the shock from his face, he knelt down and held out his hand to Keith. 

 

His jaw dropped slightly, but it quickly went back to the tired smile. He moved his closet hand, the one supporting the most of his weight, to grab the boy’s. But, just before he could latch on, the boy’s hand moved back, leaving Keith to grasp at thin air. 

 

With his weight no longer supported by his empty hand, he fell to the side, his other hand not able to compensate for him. He grasped out desperately at the branched, but that only earned him scratched palms. 

 

He was falling. 

 

Branches hit all over his body as he came closer and closer to the ground. The ground always held him, and it wanted him back. Wind rushed through his ears, blocking out the cries of the students waiting for him below. He barely had time to even process what was happening befo-

 

_ CRASH!!!! _

 

Pain shot up his leg, bringing tears to his eyes. His mouth screamed out in a silent cry. 

 

Students rushed around him as an agonizing moan escaped his mouth. He clutched his leg, wanting something, anything, to stop the pain. 

 

“Step away!” 

 

One of the teachers, Keith couldn’t tell which one, pushed their way through the crowd, making their way towards him. They kneeled down and hovered their hand over the injured leg. 

 

He looked up at the teacher, but had no luck in identifying them. His vision was blurring and doubling, no doubt from hitting his head as well. 

 

The teacher turned his head from Keith to the boys still in the tree. They yelled something (a garbled distortion) to them and they cautiously flew back down, keeping their distance from Keith and the teacher. 

 

As he stared at them, blackness creeped into his vision, threatening to take over. The teacher turned back and said something to him, but… he couldn’t quite hear it… he was just, so _ tired _ . 

 

His eyes drifted, the black taking up more of him. He tried to keep them open for the teacher, but they were just  _ so heavy _ …

 

Then nothing.

 

~~

 

Keith awoke to blinding white light. 

 

He brought his hands up to his face, blinking a few times to adjust his eyes. He dropped his hands and looked around where he was. White lights. Beeping noises. Tubes in his arms. A bed with railings. ..Paper clothes? Numb leg. His eyes darted down to the foot of the bed. His leg was lifted up and held in a sling. Then it dawned on him.

 

He was in the hospital. 

 

“Well, look who’s awake.” 

 

He jumped at the new voice. 

 

“Woah, woah, careful.” The nurse rushed over to him, gently applying pressure to his shoulders to keep him still. Her soft grey feathers ruffled as she moved. “Your leg is broken; if you move too much, then you risk hurting yourself more.” 

 

Keith obeyed, taking a quick glance back at his casted leg. Oh. Right. He fell from the tree. Memories of the boys and their malicious smirks flashed in his mind. They had let him fall. They didn’t want to include him; he knew that. But of course, he went into the tree anyways. He fell for it and now he has a broken leg. 

 

The nurse spoke again, pulling him from his thoughts. 

 

“Your parents are outside speaking to your doctor. That was a pretty big break yo-” 

 

“They aren’t my parents,” he interrupted.  _ This was  _ their  _ fault. He never would’ve been in this situation had it not been for them. _ “I only had my dad and he’s  _ dead _ . They-” he looked through the room’s window to where he assumed his foster parents were, “-are  _ not _ my parents. And they never will be.” 

 

“Oh,” the nurse said simply, removing her hands from him. “Of course. My apologies. Regardless, you did suffer quite a large break on your fibula and a fracture along your tibia as well. It should take at least six weeks for it to heal, granted there were no tendons harmed in process.” 

 

Keith wasn’t listening. His mind was still on the boys, more specifically, the one who let him fall. He knew kids didn’t like him, but did they really hate him that much? They could’ve just said “no” when he asked them to play. He didn’t need to do all that to show him that he didn’t belong. He already knew that. Why’d they have to go and shove that fact in his face?

 

“-ith? Keith!” 

 

“Wha- Huh?” 

 

When he came back to reality, his doctor and his foster parents were all in the room with him and the nurse. 

 

“How are you feeling?” 

 

“I-uh-” he mumbled. How  _ did _ he feel? Betrayed? Worthless? Unlovable? Instead, he settled for: “Fine. I feel fine.” 

 

“Hm.” He jotted down something on his clipboard. “Any pain in your leg?” 

 

He shook his head. 

 

“The numbness should go away, so be prepared for pain later,” he said, still writing something down. “How about your hands?” 

 

He looked down at his hands, which were covered in a number of scratches and bruises from the wood. 

 

“A little sore,” he admitted. 

 

He dropped his hands and glanced over to his foster parents. They looked back, faces full of disappointment. He wasn’t sure why he expected something else. What was he hoping to get from them? Concern? Why would they care? He wasn’t their kid. Just some pity case dropped off on their doorstep by the State. They were just the suckers who got stuck with the wingless kid. 

 

He turned his gaze away from them and ducked his head. 

 

“You’ll need to stay off your leg until it is fully healed. That includes after your cast is removed.” He stressed that last part. “We wouldn’t want you to break your leg again so soon after it heals, no would we?” 

 

He almost laughed at “we.” The image of his disappointed fosters’ faces stopped him. 

 

“Will I be back to normal after it heals?” he asked cautiously. 

 

He’d heard stories of people breaking bones so badly that they can’t even walk or fly ever again. Even if his wasn’t that extreme, he didn’t want to be limping for the rest of his life. He attracted enough attention as it is! 

 

“Well, more or less,” he answered thoughtfully. “As long as you don’t do anything reckless, then you should be alright.” 

 

He sighed in relief. 

 

“However-” 

 

Keith's head shot up. 

 

“Something reckless would also include climbing trees. That was extremely reckless, especially given your…” 

 

He trailed off. 

 

“My  _ what _ ?” he snapped. 

 

“ _ Keith _ .” his foster mother scolded sternly. 

 

“What?! Why don’t you just say it?  _ My fucking  _ **_deformity_ ** !” 

 

“KEITH!” 

 

“What? That’s what you were all thinking wasn’t it?” 

 

He was yelling now. 

 

“Keith,” the nurse said calmly. “You need to calm down…” 

 

He ignored her. 

 

“So- what? I can’t even climb a fucking tree because  _ I don’t have wings? _ ” 

 

“I never said tha-” 

 

“But you were going to!” he accused. His eyes darted across the four adults. His foster parents were furious. “ _ Weren’t you? _ ” 

 

After a long silence, the doctor let out a deep sigh. 

 

“Keith, I know you don’t like it, but that’s just the reality of it. The fact that you don’t have wings does put you at risk for certain activities. Just like how you fell from that tree and broke your leg.” 

 

His mind flashed to the boy removing his hand, allowing Keith to slip from the tree. 

 

“But that wasn’t-” 

 

“ _ Keith _ , that’s enough!” his foster mother yelled. 

 

He closed his mouth, not risking opening it. He knew he stepped too far. Even with his broken leg and other injuries, he knew he’d be punished for this later. 

 

The doctor scratched his neck uncomfortably. 

 

“Why don’t- why don’t we just have your parents sign the papers so we can get you home? Okay?” 

 

Keith didn’t have the energy to argue. He simply nodded his head. 

 

His foster parents exited the room with the doctor, slamming the door shut behind them and leaving him alone with the nurse. 

 

She began to speak to him again, but her words were drowned out. He clutched the sheets in his fists despite the pain it brought to his cuts and scratches. His eyes began to burn, but he refused to let the nurse see him cry. 

 

He leaned back into the pillow, something he wouldn’t be able to comfortably with wings. Even the nice things were just a reminder of how different he was. That difference got him hurt today.

 

_ It wasn’t fair. _

 

He clutched the sheets tighter and squeezed his eyes that threatened to pour. 

 

_ It wasn’t fucking fair. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh.. i know nothing about medical or hospitals. i could've asked my sister (who recently had knee surgery), buuut she'd kill me for waking her up..
> 
> in case you were wondering, this is a different foster family than the one in the first chapter, so no little kid with fluffy wings. 
> 
> in the next chapter, we'll be meeting Shiro!! yay! there's a lot of excitement planned for the next one, so you guys better get pumped! (there will also be s7 spoilers, but i won't be posting that chapter until after it's release) 
> 
> please leave kudos if you liked it! comments are always appreciated! (as well as constructive criticism)


End file.
